Jul 9 Design Board: Giving Ochre Gold a Place to Shine

More than six months into the no-longer-new year, it’s safe to assume anyone who cares about colour and décor is now well versed in colour queen, Pantone’s colours for 2016 – Rose Quartz and Serenity. These two fast friends are incredibly versatile, but there is one in the land of colour even more versatile than soft, dusty pink and blue. It’s gold!

In the colour kingdom, Gold reigns supreme

Gold is not a new player on the colour stage, but since we’re looking to warm up the peace and tranquillity Rose Quartz and Serenity afforded us all summer, gold’s worth as a décor ally has become evident. Her people love her, and why shouldn’t they!? After all, Cream Gold was one of the colours Pantone originally suggested we pair with their gender-neutral darlings.

Before we look at how to do that however, we should pay it the proper respect by looking at what exactly it is.

Even if it looks a lot like mustard to you, Dulux’s colour of the year is positively Ochre Gold. In other parts of the world they are also talking about Cherished Gold, a slightly more matured shade of mustardy gold, but in the beautiful world of fashion and décor design, the name is so much more than just a name.

Wouldn’t you rather have a creamy, warm gold throw or scatter on your sofa than a spicy yellow mustard that burns the nose? That is the difference between this season’s golds and yesteryear’s mustards.

How to use it and where to get it

If you’ve been following current trends this year, at least one of the rooms in your home probably has a couple of pale pink and blue items. We’re sharing our favourite gold items and showing you how we’d pair them with pink and blue.

No 1 – Design Team’s Gold and Black Potato Print from the I Am An African range. Use this modern African textile to recover any chair that needs the Midas touch… just a touch.

No 2 – Ellen’s Eyes. We love this fresh pop of blue in Plascon’s Velvaglo for an old coffee table that needs new love or if you’re brave, a doorframe to introduce the room.

No 3 – Dulux’s 2016 colour of the year and the star of our mood board – Cherished Gold.

No 4 – Plascon’s Apple Blush is a good colour match to No. 11 if it’s looking lonely to you.

No 5 - Gold Pine Cone Bottle Stop, because, who knows… there may just be some left. R80, from H&M Home.

No 6 - Cement and Gold Candle to warm the atmosphere. R170 from Woolworths.

No 7 – Hangman Floor Lamp, ideal for placing between two chairs for task or atmosphere lighting. R10350 from Anatomy.

No 8 – A cheeky little Gold Teacup is great to hide your wine in. R150 from H&M Home.

No 9 – The Muted Kites woven rug does a fantastic job in grounding all the colours in 1.6 x 2.3 metres of 100% wool. R7 950 from Airloom.

No 10 – Gold Keytlery set of 12 from Generation Design, because winter is for comfort and comfort for eating. Price on request.

No 11 – The light and inviting Herman 3 Seater Sofa in Dina Light Rosa sets the colour scheme. R11 899 from The Sofa Company

Instagram

Nipples. Let’s talk about the perky, pink wonders that hold unknown power and intrigue. Just to be clear, we’re talking about female nipples here. ⠀
⠀
They’re a little like snowflakes in that no two are alike (even on the same woman, frustratingly) and no two women have the same feelings when looking at their own nipples. Hopefully, by the time you reach your thirties you have been blessed with either an adoring partner or nursing child to help you look on your own nipples tenderly, realising for yourself the importance of these tiny bits of flesh.⠀
⠀
Nobody realises their importance more acutely than the woman who has lost one or both her nipples with a mastectomy. And perhaps, to an extent, Cara du Plessis who hand makes realistic adhesive prosthetic silicone nipples. ⠀
⠀
“It’s something small,” says Cara, “but it can have an actual impact on someone’s life. The idea that this product could be that last bit of confidence a woman needs to say ‘Now I am done with breast cancer,’ means so much to me.”⠀
⠀
Women who are able to afford breast reconstruction will often have it done during the mastectomy, but getting reconstructed nipples and tattoos means additional costs and further painful surgeries for them. Pain free and affordable nipples, however, was something Cara could make with confidence and it’s a place where the unique hand-made quality of each piece is a definite advantage. ⠀
⠀
The long and the short of them⠀
⠀
A pair of Perky Pinks will set a breast cancer survivor back a mere R1,999 and could last for years if taken care of properly. They come in three different sizes and five different shades. The adhesive is waterproof, meaning you can keep them on for 3 – 5 days and swim and shower with your gorgeous new nipples without the fuss of reapplying them daily. The set comes with 10 ml of FDA approved adhesive, suitable for sensitive skin; as well as a handy handbag-ready 5ml adhesive; application brush; 50 ml spray-on remover solution; alcoholic cleansing wipes and a booklet. ⠀
⠀
For more information, or to purchase a pair, visit the Perky Pinks at buff.ly/2BFwObb

“And I wonder: Have I squandered my dogness?... Have I made a mistake by anticipating my future and shunning my present?” - The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein
#jolabokaflodclub

Well that’s finally done! Here’s to my newly established family Jolabokaflod-club. #books #reading “Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.” - Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden

And here’s why we must all wear sunscreen. I can’t stress this enough.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.